Combined intake and exhaust ventilator

ABSTRACT

This invention concerns a combined intake and exhaust ventilator in which any proportion of exhaust air may be recirculated into the room.

United States Patent [191 [111 3,722,395 Courchesne Mar. 27, 1973 COMBINED INTAKE AND EXHAUST [56] References Cited VENTILATOR UNITED STATES PATENTS [76] Inventor: Germain Courchesne, 167 Chemm (in G lf DrummOn-dvme, Q b 2,373,496 4 1945 Paiste, Jr. ..98 33 A Canada 3,487,767 1/1970 Kristinasen ..9s/33 R 3,130,908 4/1964 Henne ..98/33 [22] Filed; Jul 9, 1968 3,367,258 ,2/1968 Erfeling.... ..98/33 [21] pp No: 743,423 3,463,391 8/1969 Haegens ..98/33 X Primary Examiner-William E. Wayner [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Att rney-Pierre Lesperance A 3, 1967 C ad ..997O58 a 57 ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl ..98/33, 98/38 This invention concerns a Combined intake and [51] Int. Cl. ..F24f 13/04 haust ventilator in which any proportion f exhaust air 58 Field of Search...98/33, 38 E, 810, 40; 165/122, may be recirculated into the mom 3 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENTEUHARZ'IIQTK SHEET 10F 2 AGENT PATENTEUHARZTIQH 3,722,395.

SHEET 2 BF 2 43 49 50 36 40 5/ T Hy. 6

INVENTOR Germ?) (Kl/[W AGENT The present invention relates to a ventilating system for a room. i

4 The general object of the invention resides in the combination in a single apparatus of an intake and of an exhaust ventilator, the two ventilators being twinned to produce very efficient ventilation inside a room, because the system does not produce air over pressure and, therefore, allows free air circulation between the interior and the exterior of the room.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a ventilator system in which air recirculation can be varied at will in order to adjust the proportion of fresh air and the proportion of recirculated air between 100 percent fresh air and 100 percent recirculated air, the adjustment being effected in accordance with the exterior temperature in order to save the hot air of the room as much as possible in cold weather.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a ventilator system of the character described arranged in such a manner that the air stream which enters the room and the air stream which leaves the room at the inside face of the apparatus, does not mix in order to obtain a good control on the proportions of recirculated and fresh air in the mixture of air entering the room.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will become clearer in the following description and by referring to the annexed drawings, in which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment;

FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are partially schematic plan view of the ventilator system showing different positions of the dampers and different operative conditions of the air blowers to obtain different conditions of ventilation;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a plan section taken along line 8--8 of FIG. of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a plan section, similar to that of FIG. 8, but showing another position of the adjustable damper, this section being taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 12;

FIG. v10 is a vertical section taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a vertical section taken along line 11--11 of FIG. 8; 7

FIG. 12 is a vertical section taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a vertical section taken along line 1313 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view ,of the central portion Air opening 3 is protected by a screen 5, whereas air opening 4 may be provided with angularly adjustable louvers 6. The external part of easing 1, indicated at 7, is provided along its entire surface with an external opening 8.

In thisopening, are mounted horizontally disposed louvers 9 pivoted along their external edge 10 to the lateral walls of the casing I. Louvers 9 are pivotally in terconnected at their inner edge by a common rod 11 serving to maintain the louvers parallel to one another in any adjusted angular position of the louvers. These louvers are manually an'gularly adjusted by a rope or chain 12 attached to rod 11 and extending within the casing to be accessible at the inside face 2 thereof.

A tension spring 12, attached to the casing and to rod 11, urges louvers 9 in closed position.

Blocking means, not shown, engage the chain 12 to maintain louvers 9 in any desired angular position. just inside, louvers 9 in casing 1 is disposed opposite each opening 3 and 4, an automatic independent louver system 13 and 14 respectively, each constituted by horizontally disposed slats parallel to one another and pivoted at 15 to the lateral walls of the casing and provided with a coinmon pivoted rod 16 to maintain the slats parallel, this rod preferably carrying a weight 17.

Louvers 13 and 14 are normally maintained in closed position under their own weight and that of weight 17 if the latter is present. Louvers 13 opposite opening 3 openwhen air moves from the room to the exterior, while louvers l4 opposite opening 4 open when air moves from the exterior to the inside of the room.

Two air blowers 18 and 19 are mounted in casing 1 in inverted position and opposite louvers l3 and 14 respectively. These air blowers are disposed side by side and opposite openings 3 and 4 respectively. These blowers are of known type, having paddle wheels in a casing having a lateral axial air intake and a tangential air discharge opening.

Each blower is rotated by its electric motor 20 and drive belt 21.

The two blowers are preferably ofequal capacity and each blower may have two speeds of operation.

A vertical wall 22 separates casing 1 in its central plane and, therefore, forms two separate chambers, each receiving the respective blowers 18, 19. This partition 22 extends from inside wall 2 of the casing up to louvers 13 and 14, but terminates short of the manually-adjustable louvers 9, which extend the entire length of the casing.

This ventilator system operates in the following manner:

In the stop position of the two blowers 18 and 19, or of one or the other of these blowers, louvers 13 and/or 14 associated therewith are automatically closed under the action of gravity, whereby exterior air cannot enter the room and this independently of the angular position of manually-operated louvers 9.

When the two blowers 18 and 19 are operating, blower 18 will exhaust stale air from the room and, at the same time, a substantially equal amount of fresh air from the exterior will be discharged into the room by blower 19, provided louvers 9 are: completely open.

By progressively closing louvers 9, a proportionately increasing amount of air from the room will be recirculated back into the room by blower 19, as indicated by arrow 23, in FIG. 2.

The proportion of recirculated air will mix completely with the fresh air which makes up the difference, whereby the air entering the room in accordance with arrow 24 will be at a higher temperature than the exter nal air.

If the louvers 9 are completely closed, inside air will be completely recirculated by the two blowers in accordance with FIG. 4 and, therefore, there is no additional fresh air. This recirculation eliminates stratification of warm air inside the room. If desired, one or the other of blowers l8 and 19 can be operated, as shown in FIG. 3 for the exhaust ventilator, and in FIG. for the intake ventilator.

Trials made with the two blowers 18 and 19 in operation have shown that there is no mixing between the air discharged from and the air entering the front of the' casing. In fact, one can hold a sheet of paper in perfectly stable position in alignment with partition 22 separating the two openings 3 and 4.

Because the two blowers 18 and 19 have preferabl two speeds of operation, one can obtain several combinations of the amount of air leaving and entering the room.

Louvers 9 can be operated by an electric motor, not

shown, to eventually obtain a completely automatic operation of the system.

FIGS. 8 to 16 show a second embodiment of the invention, which is a simpler and less expensive construction and has, moreover, the advantage of being able to locate the external portion of the casing close to a wall or other'obstructions without limiting free air circulation between the inside and outside of the room.

As in the first embodiment, the system comprises a casing 25, made of sheet metal or the like, and of generally rectangular shape. This casing has an inside wall 26, a bottom 28, a top 29, terminal walls 43 and 44 and an outside wall 27. Y

The casing is adapted to be disposed either in an opening of an external wall or in a window, whereby the internal part 26 will open inside the room to be ventilated, and the external part 27 will be at the exterior of the room.

The casing is provided along its entire length with an opening 30, which defines the lower corner of the external end of the casing, said opening 30 being provided with screens 31 and 32 extending along the external wall 27 and the bottom 28, respectively.

A damper 33 extends over the entire length of casing 25. It is pivoted to the latter about axis 34 close to the external wall 27 and just over opening 30. Damper 33 is of sufficient width to completely close opening 30 when in lowered position, as shown in FIGS. and I1. Damper 33 is preferably lined on the inside with heatinsulating material 35 to prevent frost formation in cold weather. Damper 33 can be raised to completely open opening 30. Moreover, the damper can be adjusted to any intermediate angular position to open more or less opening 30.

Inside casing 25, are disposed two air blowers 36 and 37 arranged in inverted position and side by side and preferably actuated by a common electric motor 38.

Each air blower is preferably of the type having a paddle wheel with a housing having a lateral axial air intake and a tangential air discharge opening.

operation, whereby the air blowers will have two or three air blowing capacity levels.

Blower 36 is arranged to suck the room air through screened opening 39 of inside wall 26 of casing 25 and to discharge this air to the outside through opening 30. Blower 37, on the contrary, sucks exterior air through the same opening 30 and discharges said air within the room through screened opening 39. The two air blowers 36 and 37 are of the type having no air intake on the side of the common motor 38.

Casing 25 is provided with a partition 40 arranged longitudinally and vertically within the casing on the outside of blowers 36 and 37. Partition 40 joins at one end with the terminal wall 43 of casing 25 adjacent exhaust blower 36 and is provided with an opening in which is secured the discharge end of said blower 36. Partition 40 joins with bottom 28 and top 29 of the casing. Partition 40 is folded at right angles at 41 to form an extension 42 transverse to the casing and parallel to terminal walls 43 and 44.

Extension 42 is applied against the wall of the blower 37 provided with its air intake and has an opening, not shown, in communication with the air intake of blower 37. Extension 42 joins with bottom 28 and top 29 of casing 25 and is in turn extended by a partition 45 parallel to inside wall 26 of the casing and surrounding the discharge opening of blower 37. Partition 45 joins with the bottom 28 and top 29 of the casing and also with the terminal wall 44, whereas the other end of partition 45 is bent at right angles, as shown at 46, and

forms an extension 47 terminating at the inside wall 26 in the center of the casing.

This partition system defines chambers for separating the air streams. When the two blowers 36 and 37 are operating, stale air from inside of the room is exhausted to the exterior by blower 36 and, at the same time, a substantially equal amount of fresh air from the exterior is discharged into the room by blower 37, provided damper 33 is in completely open position. By progressively closing'this damper, a certain proportion of inside air will be recirculated by blower 37, and in the completely closed position of damper 33, all of the air sucked by blower 36 will be recirculated back into the room by blower 37, as shown by arrows 48 in FIG.

By opening more or less damper 33, any proportion of fresh air can be added to the recirculated air up to percent fresh air.

Damper 33 can be actuated and retained in adjusted position by any appropriate system, such as the system shown in FIG. 13, and comprising an arm 49 pivoted intermediate its end at 50 to the terminal wall 43 of the casing.

The inner end of arm 49 is pivotally connected to a free corner of damper 33 by means of link 51, whereas the other end of arm 49 protrudes from the casing inside wall 26 passing through an elongated vertical opening 52, this opening being preferably provided with notches or other means to maintain arm 49 in any adjusted angular position, to thereby maintain damper 33 in adjusted open position.

As in the first embodiment, space 53 containing damper 33, and which is defined by the external wall 27 and partition 40, forms a mixing chamber for the fresh air and the hot air, the proportion of the mixture being controlled by the angular position of damper 33.

Preferably, a partial partition 54 is disposed within space 53 in alignment with partition 47. Partial partition 54 is arranged in the center of the casing and joins with partition 40 and the external wall 27 and extends from bottom 28 to the level of the top of the opening of the blower 36. Consequently, damper 33 has a slot 55 for the free passage of partition 54 when the damper is closed or in any intermediate positions.

Damper 33 is reinforced in the zone otits slot 55 by a U-shaped element 56, the legs of which are secured to the damper and surround partial partition 54. This partial partition separates the outgoing and incoming air when the damper is open, in order to permit communication of the two separate openings 30 thus formed by the partial partition, with separate conduits opening to the outside, in the case in which the apparatus of the invention would be completely disposed inside a room.

It should be noted that in any intermediate position of the damper 33, air is recirculated between the two blowers through space 53 above the partial partition 54.

When the apparatus is disposed in a window opening or wall opening, it will be seen that the air can pass through opening 30, either from underneath or from the external end or side of the casing 25. Therefore, if the external part of the casing is closed to an obstruction either along the bottom 28 or along the external wall 27, the air cannevertheless enter and leave the casing through the other right angular opening.

The apparatus of the invention is more particularly I efficient for rapidly changing the stale air of a room while conserving as much-as possible the warm air which is expensive to reheat.

The system of the invention can operate in a completely automatic manner by controlling the blowers by means of a thermostat set, for example, at one degree higher than the setting of the heating system thermostat and disposed at a higher level than the latter, whereby the blowers will automatically start to operate to change the air and bring in fresh air when the temperature in the top zone of the room becomes excessively high.

It is obvious that one can install filtering means and/or ozone generating means opposite the exhaust ventilator 37, in order to filter and/or purifythe air discharged into the room.

What! claim is: I

l. A combined exhaust and intake ventilator apparatus capable of moving air both into and out of a space to be ventilated, comprising a parallelipedic casing having top, bottom and side walls and substantially parallel internal and external walls adapted to be positioned in a space to be ventilated and to be exposed to the atmosphere respectively, said internal wall having an air intake opening and an air discharge opening disposed side by side, said external wall having an air intake opening and an air discharge opening disposed side by side between said side walls, the air intake opening of said external wall facing the air discharge opening of said internal wall and the air discharge opening of said external wall facing the air intake openingof said internal wall partition means in said casin dividing the same into lrst, second and third compar ments, first and second air blowers located in the first compartment, each consisting of a housing and of a fan located in said housing, said housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, said first and second air blowers arranged with their air outlets oppositely disposed, the air outlet of said first blower facing said internal wall air discharge opening and the air outlet of said second blower facing said external wall air discharge opening, said first compartment in full communication with said internal wall air intake opening, with the air inlet of said second blower opening within said first compartment, said second compartment establishing communication between said internal wall air discharge opening and the air outlet of said first blower, said third compartment establishing communication between the air inlet of said first blower, the air outlet of said second blower and said external wall air intake and air discharge openings, said partition means including a first partition member disposed parallel to said external wall and spaced inwardly therefrom to define at least a portion of said third compartment therewith, said partition means including a second partition member perpendicular to said first partition member and joined with the latter,- with said bottom wall and with said external wall and separating the external wall air intake opening from the external wall air discharge opening, said second partition member having a top edge terminating short of said top wall, so as to divide said third compartment only partially into two sub-compartments in full intercommunication above said top edge and an adjustable elongated flat damper having an inner longitudinal edge hinged alongside the top edge of both said external wall air openings, end edges close to said end walls, and an outer longitudinal edge parallel to said inner longitudinal edge, said damper being slotted for the free passage of said second partition member, said damper pivotable between a closed position closing both said external wall air openings and in which said outer longitudinal edge is spaced from said first partition member, whereby said damper opens the communication between said two subcompartments over said top edge, and an open position in which its outer longitudinal edge is spaced from said bottom wall to open said exterior wall openings and is close to said first partition member to close the communication between said two subcompartments.

2. A combined exhaust and intake ventilator apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said external wall air intake and air discharge openings extend downwardly to the junction of said external wall with said bottom wall and are extended into the portion of said bottom wall close to said external wall, said damper in its closed position having its outer longitudinal edge abutting said bottom wall inwardly of said bottom wall air openings.

3. A combined exhaust and intake ventilator apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including a rigid inverted U-shaped element straddling said second partition member having its legs secured to said damper on both sides of its slot to reinforce said damper.

* t i i 

1. A combined exhaust and intake ventilator apparatus capable of moving air both into and out of a space to be ventilated, comprising a parallelipedic casing having top, bottom and side walls and substantially parallel internal and external walls adapted to be positioned in a space to be ventilated and to be exposed to the atmosphere respectively, said internal wall having an air intake opening and an air discharge opening disposed side by side, said external wall having an air intake opening and an air discharge opening disposed side by side between said side walls, the air intake opening of said external wall facing the air discharge opening of said internal wall and the air discharge opening of said external wall facing the air intake opening of said internal wall, partition means in said casing dividing the same into first, second and third compartments, first and second air blowers located in the first compartment, each consisting of a housing and of a fan located in said housing, said housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, said first and second air blowers arranged with their air outlets oppositely disposed, the air outlet of said first blower facing said internal wall air discharge opening and the air outlet of said second blower facing said external wall air discharge opening, said first compartment in full communication with said internal wall air intake opening, with the air inlet of said second blower opening within said first compartment, said second compartment establishing communication between said internal wall air discharge opening and the air outlet of said first blower, said third compartment establishing communication between the air inlet of said first blower, the air outlet of said second blower and said external wall air intake and air discharge openings, said partition means including a first partition member disposed parallel to said external wall and spaced inwardly therefrom to define at least a portion of said third compartment therewith, said partition means including a second partition member perpendicular to said first partition member and joined with the latter, with said bottom wall and with said external wall and separating the external wall air intake opening from the external wall air discharge opening, said second partition member having a top edge terminating short of said top wall, so as to divide said third compartment only partially into two sub-compartments in full intercommunication above said top edge and an adjustable elongated flat damper having an inner longitudinal edge hinged alongside the top edge of both said external wall air openings, end edges close to said end walls, and an outer longitudinal edge parallel to said inner longitudinal edge, said damper being slotted for the free passage of said second partition member, said damper pivotable between a closed position closing both said external wall air openings and in which said outer longitudinal edge is spaced from said first partition member, whereby said damper opens the communication between said two subcompartments over said top edge, and an open position in which its outer longitudinal edge is spaced from said bottom wall to open said exterior wall openings and is close to said first partition member to close the communication between said two subcompartments.
 2. A combined exhaust and intake ventilator apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said external wall air intake and air discharge openings extend downwardly to the junction of said external wall with said bottom wall and are extended into the portion of said bottom wall close to said external wall, said damper in its closed position having its outer longitudinal edge abutting said bottom wall inwardly of said bottom wall air openings.
 3. A combined exhaust and intake ventilator apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including a rigid inverted U-shaped element straddling said seCond partition member having its legs secured to said damper on both sides of its slot to reinforce said damper. 